Date Published: 09/02/2021
ARCHIVED - 30,000 Catalans request to be pardoned regional election polling station duty this Sunday
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
Covid concerns lead almost 30 per cent of polling station staff to opt out of their public duty
With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to dominate the headlines in Spain the issue of the forthcoming regional election in Catalunya on Sunday 14th February has not received the amount of coverage it might have in more “normal” circumstances, and although all parties are attempting to campaign as planned there is a danger that Covid-19 could severely disrupt voting proceedings.
The last regional election in 2017 was held in the aftermath of the Spanish government imposing direct rule from Madrid in Catalunya, following a unilateral declaration of independence from Spain made in the regional parliament in October of that year. Given the violence and turmoil of that time those named to form part of the “electoral tables”, the teams of citizens called in to man polling stations, could be forgiven for feelings of trepidation when asked to perform this public duty.
But Covid-19, of course, has exacerbated those worries, and it was reported on Monday that of the 82,251 people named as members of the “mesas electorales” on Sunday, or as stand-bys to fill in for any who are indisposed, as many as 23,999 had made official requests to be excused their duties. This represents almost 30 per cent of those called on, and in interviews with the press many explain that after months of attempting to avoid large gatherings of people due to the pandemic they simply refuse to attend polling stations where thousands of voters could visit during election day.
Many add that they share households with others considered to be at special risk from infection, or that they are not convinced by the pandemic safety protocols established for Sunday.
In response, the provincial electoral committee in Barcelona has recommended that those stand-by staff who are not required on the day should be re-assigned to other polling stations rather than allowed to return home. But one of the upshots of the general discontent among nominated polling station staff has been the renewal of calls for the election to be postponed: it is alleged that the reluctance of polling station staff to participate will be mirrored in the attitude of a sizeable proportion of the electorate, leading people to be too afraid to vote, and that in consequence the results are likely to be distorted.